A Little about our Technology

Technology has advanced significantly over the recent past. With these developments bringing new advances to the society every time, it is apparent that technology will continue to emerge in new forms and better modes of the existing ones. It is normal for one to wonder over the next turn that this amazing advancement is going to take and how this is going to impact the society of the time. These questions have led researchers to look into where we are heading technology wise.

In 20 years our technology will reach a level of personalization that will enhance every moment of our lives. We’ll be more physically comfortable with the furniture we sit on and the products we hold; only the most relevant and personalized information from friends and family will reach us; and our movement in the digital world will be near telepathic.

Autonomous Cars

Today’s cars are packed with a variety of driver assistance aids. You can get most any car today with GPS, but luxury car makers such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Volvo provide a whole lot more. Options now include active cruise control, lane departure warning/intervention, traffic info and blind spot warning. These cars can even brake on their own to avoid hitting an obstacle or pedestrian in front of the vehicle.

In the future, we will have autonomous cars, where driver control will be optional. Even though the thought might seem scary, the cars will be safer than any car you’d pilot yourself. They will constantly evaluate their current environment with multiple sensors — and they’ll never get distracted by text messages.

CAD, 3D Printing & Custom Products

3D Printing (3DP), like that from Dimension, is another amazing technology that will take a 3D CAD model and “print” layers of material, one on top of the previous, to produce a real physical model. It can create almost any shape, even those that can’t be made by traditional manufacturing. The downside today is that the process is slow, costly, and often doesn’t produce parts strong enough for real world use.

Smartphones

Smartphones, like today’s iPhone, are as much a computer as they are a communication device.

In the future, they’ll evolve into personal mobile computers (PMC). Assuming that Moore’s law holds true, mobile CPUs with near super-computing speeds will be entirely possible. The number, accuracy and performance of sensors will grow, the combination of which will give the user a very powerful sense of her surroundings.

With the unending growth and development of new ideas over time, technology keeps going, eliminating one form and giving rise to another. This has led to technology having both positive as well as negative impacts on the society. It will render some people jobless at a point, yet creating jobs for others, or better bringing up better ways of doing things, shaping the society in both development and declination edges.

Society is defined as, “the sum of social relationships among human beings” and technology is defined as, “the body of knowledge available to a civilization that is of use in fashioning implements, practicing manual arts and skills, and extracting or collecting materials.” Technology shapes our society and has both positive and negative effects.

One aspect of technology that has had great impact upon society is mechanical inventions. Before machines were invented everything had to be handmade. For example, before automobiles were invented many citizens’ means of transportation was the wagon. While the automobile industry did eliminate the need for individuals whose occupation was making wagons, it also created numerous job opportunities including work in factories and on assembly lines.

Technology has made huge advancements in the way that we communicate with others. Phones, e-mails, instant messenger, and the Internet are all a part of the technology today’s citizens take for granted. However, with these new and improved forms of communication and information accessing comes unforeseen problems and glitches.

Generation after generation, technology is changing in a blinding pace. Having come the far we are, technology seems to be just beginning, promising to go beyond our imagination. This cannot be displayed any better than in the revolutionary products that are hitting the market every time with better and more advanced forms; here are some of the rapidly approaching developments of today.

Google Glass

Augmented Reality has already gotten into our life in the forms of simulated experiment and education app, but Google is taking it several steps higher with Google Glass. Theoretically, with Google Glass, you are able to view social media feeds, text, Google Maps, as well as navigate with GPS and take photos. You will also get the latest updates while you are on the ground.

Form 1

Just as the term suggests, 3D printing is the technology that could forge your digital design into a solid real-life product. It’s nothing new for the advanced mechanical industry, but a personal 3D printer is definitely a revolutionary idea.

Everybody can create their own physical product based on their custom design, and no approval needed from any giant manufacturer! Even the James Bond’s Aston Martin which was crashed in the movie was a 3D printed product!

Oculus Rift

Virtual Reality gaming is here in the form of Oculus Rift. This history-defining 3D headset lets you mentally feel that you are actually inside a video game. In the Rift’s virtual world, you could turn your head around with ultra-low latency to view the world in high resolution display.